Plated metal and process of making the same.



UNITED sTATps pATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WILDER, F C IOIQTNELLSVILLIE1, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILDERMETAL COATING AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CONNELLSVILLE, PENN-SYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PLATED METAL AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME.

No Drawing.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN IVILDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at C-onnellsville, in the county of Fayette and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPlated Metals and Processes of Making the Same, of which the followingis a specification.

As is well known, galvanized sheet or wire of iron and steel, though ofgreat value and used in immense quantities in the industrial arts, haveseveral serious defects. Among these are the variations of a properthickness and homogeneous coating, its brittleness, the weakness of itsattachment 'to its base of iron or steel, its liability to be detachedby the rusting of the base beneath it, its tendency to crack and flakewhen the sheet or wire is bent at a sharp angle or doubled back, itsliability to be detached from its base and destroyed by expansion andcontraction due to heat and cold, and its inability to resist thecorrosive action of sulfur and gases usually present as impurities inthe air near manufacturing plants and large cities.

The'ob'jects of my invention are first to provide an article of platedsheet or wire of iron or steel which while possessing the virtues ofgalvanized iron and steel sheet or Wire, will be free from. the defectsabove pointed out, and at the same time cheap enough for it to competewith and displace them for all purposes for which they have heretoforebeen used; second, to manufacture a metallic coated wire having a smoothuniform, flexible, silver-like and non-corrodible coating which has alonger life and resists exposure when used for fences, and

a higher rate of conductivity, and needs less repa1rs and cost ofinstallation when used for electrical purposes than wireheretofore madefor. the same purposes; and, third, to

provide a process for producing the above referred to and desiredproducts.

In manufacturing my improved sheet or Wire metal, I preferably proceedin the manner hereinafter described: For the coating, I prepare an alloywhose preferred composition is substantially, as follows :seventyeightpercent. by weight of spelter or zinc, one and one-half per cent. byweight of copper, seven per cent. by weight of aluminium and thirteenand one-half per cent'. by weight of tin. While the foregoingproportions have been found best by experiment, I do not care to limitmyself to all of the foregoing metals or the stated proportions, as theymay be varied in several ways Without departing from the necessaryfeatures and spirit of my invention.

I have found that in order toobtain a thorough and homogeneous bath ormixture of the above stated metals comprising the preferred form of myalloy,.and more especially the thorough commingling of the copper andaluminium, I proceed by first melting the required weight of tin andbringing it to the necessary and desired heat. I then mix with themelted tin the copper, which has been previously rolled down to thinplates, which plates are gradually and slowly fed into the melted tinand taken up by the same. This mixture of tin and copper is continuouslystirred for at least four hours and the copper will be completelyabsorbed by the tin and the skimmings which are formed may be removedfrom time to time. After the copper has been taken up, I add therequired amount of metallic zinc or spelter, which is likewisethoroughly stirred for four hours and the zinc or spelter willcompletely absorb the above mixture of molten tin and copper. I then addthe necessary metallic aluminium, more or less as conditions require,and the mixture is then stirred for at least twelve hours, so that theabove metals will all be completely united or alloyed and the impuritiesworked out and removed in the skimmings.

The alloy above described may be applied "as a coating to either iron orsteel sheet or wire, but in the manufacture of plated sheets, I preferto use sheet steel as a base.

Before introducing the sheets, wire or other articles into the moltenbath, theyshould be thoroughly cleansed, preferably in a suitablepickle, after the manner usual in galvanizing. If the sheets, wire orother articles have any acid or other fluid adhering and any of thefluxes used by tin plates will 10 answer, and in a manner similar tothat of alvan zing wire or steel, or any other way own in the art ofplating sheet 1ron or steel. 'After receiving a suitable flux, the

sheets, wire or other articles to be coated may be introduced into themolten bath or alloy, and withdrawn therefrom according to any of themethods now in use in galvanizing 'or in any other suitable manner.-Where either iron or steel is treated in this way, the heat of the baththoroughly and completely alloys that portion of the coating next to thebase with the metal of the base, though at its own surface the coating apears to be composed. solely of the alloy used as a bath. The unionbetween the coating and the iron and steel is perfect and cannot beaffected either by expansion, contraction or bending. The coating is asflexible as the coated base and so tough and tenacious that wire orsheet steel or iron can be worked up into articles of manufacture orelectro-welded as well after coating as before, in which it differsradically from ordinary galvanized iron or steel which, as is wellknown, are usually coated with zinc after they are made. 7

My improved coating is far superior to prior coatings in both textureand appearance. The texture of the preferred form of alloy or coating isfine grain which allows it to thoroughly and deeply enter the fine andexpanded pores of the heated iron or steel, become fully alloyed withthe same as if riveted thereto with innumerable and infinitesimalrivets, and thereby highly tenacious. The coating is also smooth,uniform in thickness and homogeneous in texture and in appearanceresembles a silver finish.

For roofing, gas furnaces, and all other industrial and architecturalsheet metal work, my sheets have been found superior to any other platedsheet metal with which I am acquainted.

My invention is more especially adapted and was primarily evolved-forthe purpose of plating steel and ironwire to be used for electricalpurposes, and where subjected to the action of the elements as intelegraphy and fences. 4

After complete and careful experiments and testsit has been found thatan iron or steel wire treated by my invention is an excellent andsuperior conductor of electricity,

and at the same time is rust proof, can be electrically welded, heatedto a red heat,

tied into, a knotwithout starting or detach ing the coating and alsoresists the U. S. Government and Western Union Telegraph Company tests,twice aslong as any othercqated iron or steel. wire.

My new process. difi'ers both in the mixture and the heat from theoldand prior processes, the use of copper being a departure, and by its useI am enabled to use a.

larger percentageof aluminium. I have also found by the presence ofcopper thatmy process is better adapted for wire, as I can apply aheavier coating and still preserve great tenaciousness. The 00 perappears to have a great affinity, absorbing or alloying 1 properties forthe aluminium and keeps it from too readily separating as has been foundto be the case in prior and similar processes where aluminium is used,also preventing and entirely eliminating the formation ofdross or refusemetal, which is a great saving and reduces the cost of production ofplated metal when the herein described method is employed.

It has been found by experience that in ordinary galvanizing processes,only twentyfive per cent. of the moltenbath attaches itself to the wire,while with my improved process at least seventy-five per cent. is madeto permanently alloy itself'with the wire.

I prefer the bath to contain the abovenamed percentages and to be usedat a temperature from 800 to 850 1*.; if more than the above percentagesare used, the bath will be required to bekept at a higher temperature,which is dangerous to the copper, aluminium and the tank.

In regard to the quantities of metal used I it will be noted that I havestated the preferred quantities, but it will be understood that theproportions can be widely varied, also the tin can be omitted withoutthe essential and important alloying characteristics of the copper andaluminium above explained being changed.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is asfollows:

1. As a new manufacture, iron or steel having a coating of an alloycontaining aluminium, copper and zinc.

2. As a new manufacture, iron or steel having a coating of anal 10ycontaining aluminium, copper and tin. v

3. As a new manufacture, 1ron or steel having a coating of an alloycontaining aluminium, copper, tin and zinc. I

4. The process of coating iron or steel consisting in preparing a moltenbathof an alloy containing aluminium, copper and zinc; cleansing anddrying the iron or steel; and introducing the iron or steel into andwithdrawing it from the molten bath.

5. The process of coating iron or steel consisting in preparing a moltenbath of an alloy containing aluminium, copper-and tin; and introducingthe iron-or steel into and cleansing and drying the iron or steel; andWithdrawing it from the molten bath. 10 introducing the iron or steelinto and with- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature drawing it fromthe molten bat-h. in presence of .two witnesses.

6. The process of coating iron or steel JOHN WILDER. consisting inpreparing a molten bath of an I Witnesses: alloy containing aluminium,copper, tin and L. W. Foes,

zinc; cleansing and drying the iron or steel; LEE SMITH.

